IRON MIKE is back after a 15-year absence.
All eyes will be on the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Saturday night as Mike Tyson enters the ring for the first time since 2005.
The former heavyweight champion of the world will go up against Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition bout, with Rafael Cordeiro in his corner.
Who is Rafael Cordeiro?
Tyson has got himself into phenomenal shape for his big comeback – and Cordeiro has played a huge part in the champ’s stunning body transformation.
A former MMA star and a fearsome competitor, Cordeiro is a three-time Brazilian Muay Thai world champion.
The Brazilian-born hardman stepped out of the ring in his late 20s with a professional MMA record of four wins and two defeats.
Cordeiro then moved to the USA in 2008 and heads up the famous Kings MMA gym in California, which he founded a decade ago.
The gym has churned out a number of MMA superstars, including Wanderlei Silva, former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum and lightweight scrapper Rafael dos Anjos.
In 2016, Cordeiro was named Coach of the Year and Kings was awarded Gym of the Year in a clean-sweep at the MMA Awards.
Tyson and Cordeiro linked up earlier this year and the martial arts expert has whipped the 53-year-old former champ into remarkable shape.
And Cordeiro, 47, has been stunned by the power of the Baddest Man on the Planet who hasn’t been in the ring since retiring against Kevin McBride 15 years ago.
He said: “As soon as we started training I said ‘My Lord’. I didn’t know what to expect from a guy who hasn’t hit mitts for – I think – almost ten years.
“So I didn’t expect to see what I saw – I saw a guy with the same speed, the same power as a guy who is 21, 22-years-old.
“And I can tell; you would have to be a good guy to spar with Mike, because if you don’t prepare, he is going to drop you for sure – 100%.
“The power is different level.
“I have trained a lot of heavyweights in my career, with not a lot of respect for everybody, but he is almost as powerful as Wanderlei Silva is right now.
“When you talk about power, I held his right hook and thought ‘he is going to kill somebody’.”
When is Tyson vs Jones Jr?
- The big fight is now set for Thanksgiving Weekend – Saturday, November 28 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
- The legends are set to eight rounds in the ring, with Youtube star Jake Paul and NBA star Nate Robinson confirmed for the undercard.
- BT Sport Box Office will be broadcasting the fight in the UK and will cost cost £19.95 to watch.
